What retro system should I get?

[CRTGAMER]

If you are a die hard Atari 2600 collector get the Heavy Sixer. A woody six switch with more internal shielding. Hard to find.

[swiftzx]

I'd say don't get a TG16, I'd be envious JK, get it for the shumps.

[Betamax001]

Wow, lots of feedback, which is great! I thank you all.

I'm quite surprised that the Turbo Grafx overwhelmed the opposition. After looking at some of the Turbo games there are some that really stand out. But it doesn't have River Raid...I must think more!

[Octopod]

I had voted TG16.

[CRTGAMER]

Wow, lots of feedback, which is great! I thank you all.

I'm quite surprised that the Turbo Grafx overwhelmed the opposition. After looking at some of the Turbo games there are some that really stand out. But it doesn't have River Raid...I must think more!

TG16 is a great console, might be a bit of investment though. More costly and the good games are hard to find.

For a better Atari you can always go for the 7800 or even better the monsterous 5200, with even worse controllers then the 2600. It does have one of the best Trakballs though. Very unique games including Ball Blazer, Star Raiders, Space Dungeon, Qix, Kangaroo and few very good arcade perfect classics Robotron, MS Pacman, Dig Dug, Pengo, Centipede, Space Dungeon, Missile Command and Joust. There is a 2600 add on adapter if you have the 2 port or rare 4 port with a * in the part number. 7800 will take 2600 carts direct. I have both 5200 and the 7800. Great consoles for the older Arcade classics, and throw in the huge 2600 library.

Wait a minute this can get costly too!

Again get Wico for the 5200, which really works well.

[Breetai]

It's not even a choice. The Turbografx-16 has some of the most fun games ever made; Blazing Lazers, Super Star Soldier, Soldier Blade, R-Type, Air Zonk, Bonk 1-3, Alien Crush, Devil's Crush, Bomberman '93, Galaga '90, TONS of great imports if you ever get it modded or get a converter, HuCards are just sexy. It's looks great, if you get the CD add-on and a system 3.0 card you can play some of the best 16-bit games ever released, and on and on. It's easily one of my favourite retro systems, along with the NES, SNES, Genesis and Saturn. In fact, I'd even say that its shoot 'em ups are BETTER than the offerings on the Genesis, which is hard to do with great ones like Thunder Force III, IV, Hellfire, Herzog Zwei, etc.

Although, if you ever do get extra cash, definitely get one of the Japanese Duo models.

The 2600 is okay for nostalgia, but really... there are better versions of almost all of its classic games elsewhere. Same with the Colecovision.

[Betamax001]

If I go the Turbo Grafx route (which I probably will) it will probably be for playing American HuCards, while I found a PC Engine Duo at a local store that has been sitting on their shelf for months because I'm probably the only person who knows what it is and would want one. So I would probably use that to play CD games and Japanese HuCards.

Of course I whether or not I get the Turbo Grafx totally depends if they have any good games to get right there.

[Breetai]

Well, if you're getting a PCE Duo, then there is less need for a TG-16. But DEFINITELY get one of them before a 2600 or Colecovision.

[Golgo 14]

I voted for the 2600 because I think it's the best system of the 3, but 40-50 bucks is a little high for a 2600 and a little low for a TG-16. If you decide on the Atari, I'd recommend to keep trying with ebay auctions or craigslist. You should be able to get a system with various controllers and a lot of good games for that amount of money.

I don't know enough about the Colecovision to say for sure, but my feeling is that if you're interested in what the Colecovision has to offer, you'd be better off searching out an Atari 7800. The Colecovision's claim to fame when it first came out was quality arcade ports that looked better than the versions on the 2600. A lot of those games were later ported to the 7800 and were generally equal to or better than the Colecovision versions. Also, the 7800 versions of Asteroids and Centipede have gameplay options which make them the definitive versions of those games. You can get them pretty cheap on the ebay and even brand new they only run $5. http://www.oshealtd.com/atari.htm And of course, the backwards compatibility with the 2600 is a great feature.

The TurboGrafx doesn't do much for me. I know a lot of people love it and that's cool, but man, that system has a lot of shmups! Shmups aren't my thing, so the TG-16 isn't for me. Ymmv, and I do have to admit that it is a very colorful system. Keep in mind that TG-16 games generally will run a lot more than most Atari and Coleco games, though.

[Betamax001]

Keep in mind that TG-16 games generally will run a lot more than most Atari and Coleco games, though.

Yeah while looking online I have come across that trend...its kinda like the Super Nintendo i guess, all the good games will cost a bit of money.

Well, if you're getting a PCE Duo, then there is less need for a TG-16. But DEFINITELY get one of them before a 2600 or Colecovision.

It's not for certain that I will actually get it. Who knows maybe someone will buy it before i get a chance. Probably right after I get enough money to pay for it too.